Blackwood Crossing

I highly recommend playing Blackwood Crossing. Look, you will know whether this is the kind of game you might like by looking at the trailer or screenshots, but it’s a game about character, story and atmosphere, rather than high action. Even though it’s a tad short and the price is north of the £10 mark, it’s a beautiful, life-affirming gaming experience that I won’t forget for a long time.

81%Game Brain Score

story, emotional

gameplay, optimization

79% User Score Based on 360 reviews

Critic Score 73%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

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About

Blackwood Crossing is a single player action adventure game with fantasy and drama themes. It was developed by PaperSeven LTD and was released on April 4, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Blackwood Crossing" is a first-person adventure game that follows the story of Scarlett and Finn, orphaned siblings who encounter strange and mystical events on a mysterious train ride. As players uncover the memories of the twosome's past, they will navigate through surreal and emotive landscapes, making choices that will determine the fate of their relationship. The game explores themes of love, loss, and growth in a poignant and thought-provoking narrative.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+11

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79%

Audience ScoreBased on 360 reviews

story192 positive mentions

gameplay16 negative mentions

The game features beautiful visuals and a mesmerizing atmosphere that enhances the storytelling.
The voice acting is excellent, particularly the performances of the main characters, Scarlett and Finn.
The emotional narrative effectively explores themes of grief and familial relationships, leaving a lasting impact on players.

The gameplay mechanics are clunky, with slow movement and frustrating interaction prompts that detract from the experience.
The game is very short, typically taking only 2-3 hours to complete, which may leave players wanting more.
The story can feel predictable and lacks depth in character development, making it difficult for some players to connect emotionally.

story
463 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
56%
3%
The story of "Blackwood Crossing" is a poignant exploration of sibling relationships, grief, and emotional growth, set against a visually captivating backdrop. While many players appreciate its heartfelt narrative and unique storytelling approach, some criticize its predictability and lack of character development, which can hinder emotional engagement. Overall, the game is recognized for its touching themes and artistic presentation, though its short length and clunky gameplay may detract from the experience for some.
- “There's something really unique, mysterious, and intriguing about the story in this game that makes you want to keep going and figure out what is going on.”
- “This is a fantastic story about growing up and growing apart and remembering what's important.”
- “The story is beautifully told and allows you to relate completely to each character you meet in the game.”
- “The story, sadly, is where the game falls flat—even after three playthroughs I was still a bit unsure as to what exactly the tale was and I would have liked more closure or even more clarity in the overall story.”
- “Ultimately, the story lacks depth, mainly due to its length and inability to connect you with its characters.”
- “I didn't feel touched by the story because it's brought in such a weird way.”
emotional
182 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its deeply touching narrative and well-developed characters, with many players reporting that it elicited strong emotional reactions, including tears. However, some reviewers noted that the fragmented storytelling and character development hindered their emotional connection, leading to mixed feelings about the overall impact. Despite these criticisms, the game's art style, voice acting, and poignant themes resonate with those who appreciate emotionally charged experiences.
- “Outstanding facial animations and the voice acting makes you feel the emotional bond between the family members.”
- “The story and the way this game tells it is heart-wrenching yet simple.”
- “This game takes you on a complete emotional journey.”
gameplay
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
75%
16%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it is clunky, linear, and often feels more like an interactive movie than a traditional game. While the visuals and voice acting are praised, the mechanics are criticized for being frustrating and simplistic, leading to a tedious experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the story. Overall, the gameplay is seen as the weakest aspect, lacking depth and meaningful interaction.
- “I would recommend playing this game for its unique gameplay and challenging puzzles.”
- “Recommended partly because of the story, but largely due to the actual gameplay which is a walking simulator-esque adventure with a lot of interactivity from the player.”
- “What is here is well-executed; from the music, to the voice acting, to the story, to the game mechanics involving matching scattered conversation partners or manipulating fire/shadow to unlock new areas are engaging.”
- “The gameplay makes it a slow and clunky experience.”
- “The interaction mechanic is clunky and raises your frustration levels.”
- “Unfortunately, it is hindered by poor gameplay locomotion, mechanics, and repetitive tedious sections that are unrewarding and time-consuming.”
graphics
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
25%
4%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and artistic style, which enhances the storytelling experience. Reviewers highlight the beautiful visuals, charming character models, and expressive animations that create a captivating atmosphere. While some mention performance issues on lower-end systems, the overall aesthetic and attention to detail contribute significantly to the game's emotional impact.
- “The visuals and sound are superb and look incredibly professional.”
- “Graphically speaking outstanding, the atmosphere is perfect, characters terrific (masquerade effect is the best trick I've seen so far).”
- “What caught my gaze and sparked my interest in the first place when I saw those early screenshots, were the unique art style and the excellent character models, surrounded by a magical and dream-like world.”
- “My computer isn't exactly a high spec gaming rig, but a GeForce 710 and a 2014 Core i3 couldn't get above around 20fps on the lowest graphics settings.”
- “There are certainly better narrative games out there with more compelling stories and presentation of those stories; I wouldn't pick this title up unless it was about $5 and I wanted to solely appreciate the art style.”
- “So I think that for the story Blackwood Crossing wants to tell, and considering how obviously talented the development team is, as far as visuals and art direction is concerned, the video game medium might not be the best one.”
music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
77%
16%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful and atmospheric qualities, effectively enhancing the storytelling and emotional depth. Many reviewers highlight the excellent soundtrack, which includes a memorable main theme and a poignant ending song, while also noting the quality of the voice acting and sound effects. However, some players suggest adjusting the volume settings to fully appreciate the audio without it being overshadowed by background noise.
- “The soundtrack creates a both joyful and melancholic experience.”
- “Awesome soundtrack, well-written story and a good ending to that story.”
- “There is a beautiful score by Lowrider Sound that gives the game its playful and nostalgic flavor, closed out by a memorable ending song 'The Crossing' (Ben Ottewell).”
- “Then the puzzles are pretty iffy, and the music, barring the ending song, is under par for the genre, but that's minor given the strength of the premise.”
- “The music, while not catchy, does add a ton to the atmosphere.”
- “Some might find the music too decent; I find that it fits the bill perfectly, always slightly supporting the overall mood of the situation.”
atmosphere
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
74%
17%
9%
The game's atmosphere is described as mesmerizing, bizarre, and surreal, creating an emotionally impactful experience without relying on jump scares. Players appreciate the outstanding graphics, beautiful surroundings, and unique locations that contribute to a strange and creepy ambiance. Overall, the combination of fantastic writing, music, and visual elements forms a memorable and immersive world that resonates deeply with fans of atmospheric and emotionally driven games.
- “Very mesmerizing, bizarre, surreal, and oneiric atmosphere.”
- “Graphically speaking, outstanding; the atmosphere is perfect, and the characters are terrific (the masquerade effect is the best trick I've seen so far).”
- “Incredible strange, creepy atmosphere that makes you wonder what the hell is going on.”
- “I did enjoy this game, but having not long played 'What Remains of Edith Finch', which shares both theme and atmosphere and arguably does it better, I was slightly underwhelmed.”
- “The music, while not catchy, does add a ton to the atmosphere.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
34%
44%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with users reporting frequent and severe frame rate drops, sluggish movement, and poor field of view, even after patches. Many players feel that the performance issues detract from the overall experience, making it difficult to enjoy the game's story and concepts. While some acknowledge that the game can run at 30 frames per second without stuttering, the overall optimization is considered subpar, even compared to other titles from developers like Ubisoft.
- “After a certain point the story gets predictable, but performances are stellar - especially Finn's.”
- “Performance-wise, it would have been nice to experience the game in 60 frames, but to be honest, the game is no worse for being capped at 30.”
- “Abysmal performance: FPS drops from 144 to 60 all the time for no reason.”
- “Even after patches, the game performance isn't good; moving around in the game feels awful: never enough space, yet the movement is so slow.”
- “The optimization is worse than Ubisoft.”
character development
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
25%
The character development in the game is praised for its impressive design and animations, with a Pixar-like aesthetic that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the lovable characters and engaging voice acting, although some technical issues on the PC port detract from the visual quality. Overall, the character design is highlighted as a standout feature, making the game worth considering, especially at a discount.
- “Blackwood looks beautiful with its Pixar-esque character designs and the gorgeous environment, which is impressive since it's mostly set on a train.”
- “+ loveable characters; really good character design!”
- “Tldr: would recommend it on a huge discount for the amazing character design, animations, and story.”
- “The character development feels incredibly linear, leaving little room for personal choice or growth.”
- “I was disappointed by the lack of meaningful choices in character progression; it felt like I was just going through the motions.”
- “The characters lack depth and complexity, making it hard to feel invested in their journeys.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, primarily due to slow movement mechanics and repetitive tasks that detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the story, many feel that the lack of engaging puzzles and the clunky gameplay design make the grinding feel unrewarding and time-consuming.
- “Unfortunately, it is hindered by poor gameplay locomotion, mechanics, and repetitive tedious sections that are unrewarding and time-consuming because of core design and the clunky movement of the main character.”
- “You do some tedious slow walking back and forth, back and forth over and over.”
- “Biggest flaw is the slow walking pace, which gets tedious and annoying after a while.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's replayability is mixed; while players can replay and explore different choices, many find the gameplay tedious and lacking in challenge, leading to a perception of low replay value. Some users have only completed the game once, making it difficult to fully assess its replay potential.
- “The gameplay is tedious and unchallenging with no real puzzles to be found, incredibly short with no replay value. Others may find the story too cliché.”

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73%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Blackwood Crossing
I highly recommend playing Blackwood Crossing. Look, you will know whether this is the kind of game you might like by looking at the trailer or screenshots, but it’s a game about character, story and atmosphere, rather than high action. Even though it’s a tad short and the price is north of the £10 mark, it’s a beautiful, life-affirming gaming experience that I won’t forget for a long time.
Thexboxhub.com
90%

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3h Median play time

3h Average play time

2-3h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Blackwood Crossing is a action adventure game with fantasy and drama themes.

Blackwood Crossing is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing Blackwood Crossing.

Blackwood Crossing was released on April 4, 2017.

Blackwood Crossing was developed by PaperSeven LTD.

Blackwood Crossing has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Blackwood Crossing is a single player game.

Similar games include The First Tree, What Remains of Edith Finch, Draugen, Silence, Last Day of June and others.

Blackwood Crossing

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